Background Image

...

Though Confucius Served The Duke Of Lu, A Chinese State, He Made Many Enemies With The Nobles Of The Land. His Views Antagonized The Powerful Nobles, Who Wanted The Duke To Be A Puppet In Their Hands. Confucius Was Exiled From The State Of Lu For More Than Two Decades. He Lived In The Countryside, Spreading His Teachings.

-Confucius

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Though Confucius Served The

Confucius

...

Though Confucius Served The Duke Of Lu, A Chinese State, He Made Many Enemies With The Nobles Of The Land. His Views Antagonized The Powerful Nobles, Who Wanted The Duke To Be A Puppet In Their Hands. Confucius Was Exiled From The State Of Lu For More Than Two Decades. He Lived In The Countryside, Spreading His Teachings.

Views: 4817

Topic

More From Confucius

We Should Feel Sorrow, But Not Sink Under Its Oppression.

It Doesn't Make A Difference How Gradually You Go So Long As You Don't Stop.

Making A Difference

There Are 1,000 Lessons In Defeat. But Only One In Victory.

When A Wise Man Points At The Moon The Imbecile Examines The Finger.

How Should I Know Anything About Another World When I Know So Little Of This?

To Throw Oneself Into Strange Teachings Is Quite Dangerous.

Chi Wen Tzu Always Thought Three Times Before Taking Action. Twice Would Have Been Quite Enough.

Big Head, Target For Enemy; Big Heart, Target For Friend.

Your Eyes Are Always Bigger Than Your Stomach.

A Wise Man Seeks By Music To Strengthen His Soul: The Thoughtless One Uses It To Stifle His Fears.

A Good Man Does Not Worry About Not Being Known By Others, But Rather Is Concerned About Not Knowing Them.

A Good Man Will Certainly Also Possess Courage; But A Brave Man Is Not Necessarily Good.

It Is When Those Who Are Not Strong Enough Have Made Some Moderate Amount Of Progress That They Fail And Give Up.

Is There Any One Maxim Which Ought To Be Acted Upon Throughout One's Whole Life? Surely The Maxim Of Loving Kindness Is Such: Do Not Unto Others What You Would Not They Should Do Unto You.

In A Hamlet Of Ten Households, There Are Bound To Be Those Who Are My Equal In Doing Their Best For Others And In Being Trustworthy In What They Say, But They Are Unlikely To Be As Eager To Learn As I Am.

The Superior Man Has A Dignified Ease Without Pride. The Mean Man Has Pride Without A Dignified Ease.

The Man Of Wisdom Is Never Of Two Minds; The Man Of Benevolence Never Worries; The Man Of Courage Is Never Afraid.

The Superior Man Is Intelligently, Not Blindly, Faithful.

If Proper In Their Own Conduct, What Difficulty Would They Have In Governing? But If Not Able To Be Proper In Their Own Conduct, How Can They Demand Such Conduct From Others?

Give A Bowl Of Rice To A Man And You Will Feed Him For A Day. Teach Him How To Grow His Own Rice And You Will Save His Life.

The Chase Of Gain Is Rich In Hate

Let A Ruler Base His Government Upon Virtuous Principles, And He Will Be Like The Pole-star, Which Remains Steadfast In Its Place, While All The Host Of Stars Turn Towards It

The Administration Of Government Lies In Getting Proper Men. Such Men Are To Be Got By Means Of The Ruler's Own Character. That Character Is To Be Cultivated By His Treading In The Ways Of Duty. And The Treading Those Ways Of Duty Is To Be Cultivated By The Cherishing Of Benevolence.

Kong Qiu, Or Master Kong As He Was Known, Did Not Live To See His Days Of Glory. During His Lifetime, His Views Were Received With Scorn. But That Was About Two Thousand Five Hundred Years Ago. A Handful Of His Dedicated Followers Passed On Confucius' Teachings To Future Generations. After Confucius' Death, His Followers Published His Teachings In The Book, The Analects Of Confucius.

Who Expects To Be Able To Go Out Of A House Except By The Door? How Is It Then That No One Follows This Way Of Ours?

The Young Should Be Dutiful At Home, Modest Abroad, Careful And True, Overflowing In Kindness For All, But In Brotherhood With Love. And If They Have Strength To Spare They Should Spend It On The Arts.

Man Shoot At Nothing, Sure To Hit It.

The Great Man Is Sparing In Words But Prodigal In Deeds.

Virtue Is More To Man Than Either Water Or Fire. I Have Seen Men Die From Treading On Water And Fire, But I Have Never Seen A Man Die From Treading The Course Of Virtue.

The Superior Man Acts Before He Speaks, And Afterwards Speaks According To His Action.

Do Not Worry If Others Do Not Understand You. Instead Worry If You Do Not Understand Others.

If A Man Remembers What Is Right At The Sign Of Profit, Is Ready To Lay Down His Life In The Face Of Danger, And Does Not Forget Sentiments He Has Repeated All His Life When He Has Been In Straitened Circumstances For A Long Time, He May Be Said To Be A Complete Man.

She Who Is Born With Beauty Is Born With A Sorrow For Many A Man.

He Who Speaks Without Modesty Will Find It Difficult To Make His Words Good.

To Acknowledge Our Faults When We Are Blamed, Is Modesty; To Discover Them To One's Friends In Ingenuousness, Is Confidence; But To Preach Them To All The World, If One Does Not Take Care, Is Pride.

A Reasonable Man Adjusts Himself To The World. An Unreasonable Man Expects The World To Adjust Itself To Him. Therefore All Progress Is Made By Unreasonable People.

Straight-forwardness, Without The Rules Of Propriety, Becomes Rudeness.

Woman Is The Masterpiece.

Signs And Symbols Rule The World, Not Words Nor Laws.

Teachers Open The Door ... You Enter By Yourself.

Words Are The Voice Of The Heart.

A Heart Set On Love Will Do No Wrong.

To Know Is To Know That You Know Nothing. That Is The Meaning Of True Knowledge.

If A Man Has No Humaneness What Can His Propriety Be Like? If A Man Has No Humaneness What Can His Happiness Be Like?

It Is The Law Of Nature That Woman Should Be Held Under The Dominance Of Man.

The Superior Man Has Nothing To Compete For. But If He Must Compete, He Does It In An Archery Match, Wherein He Ascends To His Position, Bowing In Deference. Descending, He Drinks The Ritual Cup.

Whatever Heaven Ordains Is Best.

Look At The Means Which A Man Employs, Consider His Motives, Observe His Pleasures. A Man Simply Cannot Conceal Himself!

The Only People Who Cannot Change Are The Most Wise And The Most Stupid.

I Am Not An Originator But A Transmitter.

Never Tire To Study. And To Teach To Others

He Who Will Not Economize Will Agonize

The Superior Man Cannot Be Known In Little Matters, But He May Be Entrusted With Great Concerns. The Small Man May Not Be Entrusted With Great Concerns, But He May Be Known In Little Matters.

Wealth And Rank Are What Men Desire, But Unless They Be Obtained In The Right Way They May Not Be Possessed. Poverty And Obscurity Are What Men Detest; But Unless Prosperity Be Brought About In The Right Way, They Are Not To Be Abandoned.

A Man Should Demand Much From Himself, But Little From Others. When You Meet A Man Of Worth, Think How You May Attain To His Excellence. When You Meet An Unworthy One, Then Look Within And Examine Yourself.

Don't Be Concerned About Others Not Appreciating You. Be Concerned About Your Not Appreciating Others.

Therefore The Superior Man Is Watchful Over Himself, When He Is Alone.

Seek Not Every Quality In One Individual.

Funny Relationship

Life Is Really Simple, But We Insist On Making It Complicated.

No Lake So Still But It Has Its Wave. No Circle So Perfect But That It Has Its Blur. I Would Change Things For You If I Could; As I Can't You Must Take Them As They Are.

Knowing What's Correct And Not Doing It, It's The Worst Cowardice.

Music Produces A Kind Of Pleasure Which Human Nature Cannot Do Without.

Don’t Complain About The Snow On Your Neighbor’s Roof When Your Own Doorstep Is Unclean.

Know What You Know And Know That You Don't Know What You Don't Know — That Is The Characteristic Of One Who Knows.

Ignorance Is The Night Of The Mind, But A Night Without Moon Or Star.

Study As Though You Cannot Catch Up To It, And As Though You Fear You Are Going To Lose It.

To Learn Without Thinking Is Labour In Vain, To Think Without Learning Is Desolation.

When Abroad, Behaveto Everyone As If Interviewing An Honored Guest; In Directing The People, Act As If You Were Assisting At A Great Sacrafice; Do Not Do To Others As You Would Not Like Done To Yourself: So There Will Be No Murmuring Against You In The Country, And None In The Family; Your Public Life Will Arouse No Ill-will Nor Your Private Life Any Resentment.

A Wise Man Has Dignity Without Pride; A Fool Has Pride Without Dignity.

The Man Of Perfect Virtue, Wishing To Be Established Himself, Seeks Also To Establish Others; Wishing To Be Enlarged Himself, He Seeks Also To Enlarge Others.

But If You Do Not Have The Tao Yourself, What Business Have You Spending Your Time In Vain Efforts To Bring Corrupt Politicians Into The Right Path?

Love Makes A Spot Beautiful: Who Chooses Not To Dwell In Love, Has He Got Wisdom?

It Is True That We Shall Not Be Able To Reach Perfection, But In Our Struggle Toward It We Shall Strengthen Our Characters And Give Stability To Our Ideas, So That, Whilst Ever Advancing Calmly In The Same Direction, We Shall Be Rendered Capable Of Applying The Faculties With Which We Have Been Gifted To The Best Possible Account.

When A Man's Knowledge Is Sufficient To Attain, And His Virtue Is Not Sufficient To Enable Him To Hold, Whatever He May Have Gained, He Will Lose Again.

Unify Your Attention. Do Not Listen With Your Ears, But With Your Mind. Do Not Listen With Your Mind But With Your Essence.

A Lack Of Patience In Trifling Matters Might Lead To The Disruption Of Great Project.

Make Faithfulness And Truth Thy Masters: Have No Friends Unlike Thyself: Be Not Ashamed To Mend Thy Faults.

If I Hold Up One Corner Of A Square And The Student Cannot Workout The Other Three For Himself, I Won't Go Any Further.

Rate The Task Above The Prize; Will Not The Mind Be Raised? Fight Thine Own Faults, Not The Faults Of Others; Will Not Evil Be Mended?

Man Who Eat Many Prunes Get Good Run For Money.

If I Understand Change, I Shall Make No Great Mistake In Life

Gentlemen Cherish Worth; The Vulgar Cherish Dirt. Gentlemen Trust In Justice; The Vulgar Trust In Favor.

Watch Their Actions, Observe Their Motives, Examine Wherein They Dwell Content; Won't You Know What Kind Of Person They Are?

It Cannot Be When The Root Is Neglected That What Springs From It Will Be Well Ordered.

The Gentleman Calls Attention To The Good Points In Others; He Does Not Call Attention To Their Defects. The Small Man Does Just The Reverse Of This.

A Gentleman Is Ashamed To Let His Words Outrun His Deeds.

He Who Exercises Government By Means Of His Virtue May Be Compared To The North Polar Star, Which Keeps Its Place And All The Stars Turn Towards It.

These Are The Four Abuses: Desire To Succeed In Order To Make Oneself Famous; Taking Credit For The Labors Of Others; Refusal To Correct One's Errors Despite Advice; Refusal To Change One's Ideas Despite Warnings.

When Music And Courtesy Are Better Understood And Appreciated, There Will Be No War.

A Workman Who Wants To Do His Work Well Must First Prepare His Tools.

A Gentleman Can See A Question From All Sides Without Bias. The Small Man Is Biased And Can See A Question Only From One Side.

When The Superior Man Eats He Does Not Try To Stuff Himself; At Rest He Does Not Seek Perfect Comfort; He Is Diligent In His Work And Careful In Speech. He Avails Himself To People Of The Tao And Thereby Corrects Himself. This Is The Kind Of Person Of Whom You Can Say, "he Loves Learning."

A Man Without A Mustache Is A Man Without A Soul.

If Your Plan Is For One Year Plant Rice. If Your Plan Is For Ten Years Plant Trees. If Your Plan Is For One Hundred Years Educate Children.

The Strength Of A Nation Derives From The Integrity Of The Home.

There Is A Growing Interest In Confucianism In China And Other Parts Of The World. More And More Followers Of Confucianism Are Advocating A Deeper Study Of His Philosophies. Confucius' Ideals Stand True Even Today. His Philosophy On How To Be A Junzi Or The Perfect Gentleman Is Based On The Simple Ideology Of Love And Tolerance.

Make Fair Agreements And Stick To Them

A Common Man Marvels At Uncommon Things. A Wise Man Marvels At The Commonplace.

When Anger Rises, Think Of The Consequences.

The Contrived Language And The Flattering Attitude Rarely Come With The Virtue.

Learn As Though You Would Never Be Able To Master It; Hold It As Though You Would Be In Fear Of Losing It.

If You Think In Terms Of A Year, Plant A Seed; If In Terms Of Ten Years, Plant Trees; If In Terms Of 100 Years, Teach The People.

The Master Said, 'quietly To Store Up Knowledge In My Mind, To Learn Without Flagging, To Teach Without Growing Weary, These Present Me With No Difficulties.'

He Who Needs Only Coarse Food, Water And Drink, And As Pillow His Folded Arms Will Find Happiness Without Further Search.

Finding Happiness

When A Man Feels The Difficulty Of Doing, Can He Be Other Than Cautious And Slow In Speaking?

Only The Supremely Wise And The Ignorant Do Not Alter.

Do Not Wish For Quick Results, Nor Look For Small Advantages. If You Seek Quick Results, You Will Not Reach The Ultimate Goal. If You Are Led Astray By Small Advantages, You Will Never Accomplish Great Things.

Be In Harmony, Yet Be Different.

Do Unto Others As You Wish Others Do Unto You.

Keep It Simple And Focus On What Matters. Don't Let Yourself Be Overwhelmed.

In A Country Well Governed, Poverty Is Something To Be Ashamed Of. In A Country Badly Governed, Wealth Is Something To Be Ashamed Of.

Countries Of The World

Is Virtue A Thing Remote? I Wish To Be Virtuous, And Lo! Virtue Is At Hand.

Gravity Is Only The Bark Of Wisdom's Tree, But It Preserves It.

To Study And At Times Practice What One Has Learned, Is This Not A Pleasure?

Writing Cannot Express All Words, Words Cannot Encompass All Ideas.

If I Do Not Participate In The Sacrifice, It Is As If I Did Not Sacrifice At All.

I Used To Listen To What Others Said, And Expect Them To Act Accordingly. But Nowadays, I Listen To What They Say, And Then Observe What They Do.

Let The States Of Equilibrium And Harmony Exist In Perfection, And A Happy Order Will Prevail Throughout Heaven And Earth, And All Things Will Be Nourished And Flourish.

Listen Much, Keep Silent When In Doubt, And Always Take Heed Of The Tongue; Thou Wilt Make Few Mistakes. See Much, Beware Of Pitfalls, And Always Give Heed To Thy Walk; Thou Wilt Have Little To Rue. If Thy Words Are Seldom Wrong, Thy Deeds Leave Little To Rue, Pay Will Follow.

Heaven Begat Virtue In Me; What Can Man Do Unto Me?

A Ruthless Man Extends His Ruthlessness From Those He Does Not Love To Those He Loves.

They Who Know The Truth Are Not Equal To Those Who Love It, And They Who Love It Are Not Equal To Those Who Delight In It.

The Person Of Benevolence Never Worries.

What Can A Man Do With Music Who Is Not Benevolent?

Let Mourning Stop When One's Grief Is Fully Expressed.

Love Should Start From People Close To Us, Then Be Extended To Other People, To Strangers, And Eventually To The World

He Who Rules By Moral Force Is Like The Pole Star, Which Remains In Place While All The Lesser Stars Do Homage To It.

Expect Much From Yourself And Little From Others And You Will Avoid Incurring Resentments

A Man Who Does Not Think And Plan Long Ahead Will Find Trouble Right At His Door.

It Is Easy To Hate And It Is Difficult To Love. This Is How The Whole Scheme Of Things Works. All Good Things Are Difficult To Achieve; And Bad Things Are Very Easy To Get.

Missing Someone

Every Truth Has Four Corners: As A Teacher I Give You One Corner, And It Is For You To Find The Other Three.

Virtue Is Not Solitary; It Is Bound To Have Neighbors

Not Too Isolated, Not Too Many Relationships, The Middle, That's Wisdom.

By Gaining The People, The Kingdom Is Gained; By Losing The People, The Kingdom Is Lost.

Instead Of Being Concerned That You Have No Office, Be Concerned To Think How You May Fit Yourself For Office. Instead Of Being Concerned That You Are Not Known, Seek To Be Worthy Of Being Known.

One Who Will Study For Three Years. Without Thought Of Reward. Would Be Hard Indeed To Find.

To Be Fond Of Learning Is To Draw Close To Wisdom. To Practice With Vigor Is To Draw Close To Benevolence. To Know The Sense Of Shame Is To Draw Close To Courage. He Who Knows These Three Things Knows How To Cultivate His Own Character. Knowing How To Cultivate His Own Character, He Knows How To Govern Other Men. Knowing How To Govern Other Men, He Knows How To Govern The World, Its States, And Its Families.

Only The Wisest And Stupidest Of Men Never Change.

People With Virtue Must Speak Out; People Who Speak Are Not All Virtuous.

Baseball Is Wrong, Man With Four Balls Cannot Walk

A Man May Not Transgress The Bounds Of Major Morals, But May Make Errors In Minor Morals.

Knowledge Is Merely Brilliance In Organization Of Ideas And Not Wisdom. The Truly Wise Person Goes Beyond Knowledge.

I Hear And I Forget. I See And I Remember. I Do And I Understand.

Three Things Cannot Long Be Hidden: The Sun, The Moon, And The Truth.

Those Who Cannot Forgive Others Break The Bridge Over Which They Themselves Must Pass.

There Are Three Things Which The Superior Man Guards Against. In Youth ... Lust. When He Is Strong ... Quarrelsomeness. When He Is Old ... Covetousness.

The Master Said Of Gong Yechang, “he Is Marriageable. Although He Was Once Imprisoned And Branded As A Criminal, He Was In Fact Innocent Of Any Crime.” The Master Gave Him His Daughter In Marriage. (analects 5.1)

Many Seek Happiness Higher Than Men; Others Beneath Him. But Happiness Is The Same Height As Man.

A Good Man Regards The Root; He Fixes The Root, And Ail Else Flows Out Of It. The Root Is Filial Piety; The Fruit Brotherly Love.

You Do Not Understand Even Life. How Can You Understand Death?

From A Grain Of Sand In The Pearl Comes.

They Must Often Change, Who Would Be Constant In Happiness Or Wisdom.

Things That Are Done, It Is Needless To Speak About...things That Are Past, It Is Needless To Blame.

Humility Is The Solid Foundation Of All Virtues.

I Never Really Said All Those Things I Said

The Beginning Of Wisdom Is To Call Things By Their Proper Name.

There Are Three Marks Of A Superior Man: Being Virtuous, He Is Free From Anxiety; Being Wise, He Is Free From Perplexity; Being Brave, He Is Free From Fear.

Charity, Like The Sun, Brightens Every Object On Which It Shines.

Sincerity Is The Way Of Heaven.

Let Every Man Consider Virtue As What Devolves On Himself. He May Not Yield The Performance Of It Even To His Teacher.

To Study And Constantly, Is This Not A Pleasure? To Have Friends Come From Far Away Places, Is This Not A Joy? If People Do Not Recognize Your Worth, But This Does Not Worry You, Are You Not A True Gentleman?

Even Four Harnessed Horses Cannot Bring Imprudent Words Back Into The Mouth.

The Proper Man Understands Equity, The Small Man Profits.

Isn't It A Pleasure To Study And Practice What You Have Learned?

First There Must Be Order And Harmony Within Your Own Mind. Then This Order Will Spread To Your Family, Then To The Community, And Finally To Your Entire Kingdom. Only Then Can You Have Peace And Harmony.

Sincerity Becomes Apparent. From Being Apparent, It Becomes Manifest. From Being Manifest, It Becomes Brilliant. Brilliant, It Affects Others. Affecting Others, They Are Changed By It. Changed By It, They Are Transformed. It Is Only He Who Is Possessed Of The Most Complete Sincerity That Can Exist Under Heaven, Who Can Transform.

Plan Ahead Or Find Trouble On The Doorstep.

When We Have Intelligence Resulting From Sincerity, This Condition Is To Be Ascribed To Nature; When We Have Sincerity Resulting From Intelligence, This Condition Is To Be Ascribed To Instruction. But Given The Sincerity, And There Shall Be The Intelligence; Given The Intelligence, And There Shall Be The Sincerity.

If You Don't Want To Do Something,don't Impose On Others

I Want You To Be Everything That's You, Deep At The Center Of Your Being.

Behind Every Smile There's Teeth.

The Gods Cannot Help Those Who Do Not Seize Opportunities.

Seize The Opportunity

The Main Object Of Conciliation Lies In Reaching A Solution To A Case Based Upon Morals And With A Warm Heart.

Those Who Make Virtue Their Profession Are The Ruin Of Virtue.

Study The Past If You Would Define The Future. I Am Not One Who Was Born In The Possession Of Knowledge; I Am One Who Is Fond Of Antiquity, And Earnest In Seeking It There. Learning Without Thought Is Labor Lost; Thought Without Learning Is Perilous.

Knowledge Is Recognizing What You Know And What You Don't.

Certain Knowledge

There Are Not The Weeds The Ones That Drown The Good Seed, But The Negligence Of The Peasant.

To Be In One's Own Heart In Kindly Sympathy With All Things; This Is The Nature Of Righteousness

To See And Listen To The Wicked Is Already The Beginning Of Wickedness.

When You See A Good Person, Think Of Becoming Like Her/him. When You See Someone Not So Good, Reflect On Your Own Weak Points.

Exemplary People Concern Themselves With Virtue, Small People Concern Themselves With Territory. The Ruling Class Thinks Of Punishment, The Lower Classes Hope For Benevolence.

There Is No Body But Eats And Drinks. But They Are Few Who Can Distinguish Flavors.

I Daily Examine Myself On Three Points: In Planning For Others, Have I Failed In Conscientiousness? In Intercourse With Friends, Have I Been Insincere? And Have I Failed To Practice What I Have Been Taught?

An Angry Person Is Always Full Of Poison.

It's Only In Winter That The Pine And Cypress Are Known To Be Evergreens.

He Who Requires Much From Himself And Little From Others, Will Keep Himself From Being The Object Of Resentment.

There Are Three Sorts Of Pleasures Which Are Advantageous, And Three Which Are Injurious. Finding Pleasure In The Discriminating Study Of Ceremonies And Music, Finding Pleasure In Discussing The Good Points In The Conduct Of Others, And Finding Pleasure In Having Many Wise Friends, These Are Advantageous. But Finding Pleasure In Profligate Enjoyments, Finding Pleasure In Idle Gadding About, And Finding Pleasure In Feasting, These Are Injurious.

When I Walk Along With Two Others, From At Least One I Will Be Able To Learn.

A Gentleman Is Calm And Spacious: The Vulgar Are Always Fretting.

Those Who Understands Is Not Better Than Those Who Appreciates, Those Who Appreciates Is Not Better Than Those Who Enjoys.

Do Not Let A Leader Lead You On A Bad Path.

The More You Know Yourself, The More You Forgive Yourself.

To Take What You Know For What You Know, And What You Do Not Know For What You Do Not Know, That Is Knowledge Indeed.

Study As If You Have Not Reached Your Goal - Hold It As If You Were Afraid Of Losing What You Have.

If Language Is Not Correct, Then What Is Said Is Not What Is Meant. If What Is Said Is Not What Is Meant, Then What Ought To Be Done, Remains Undone.

The Gentleman Sees What Is Right While The Small Man Sees What Is Profitable.

Music Is The One Thing In Which There Is No Use Trying To Deceive Others Or Make False Pretenses.

A Person Of Character Takes As Much Trouble To Discover What Is Right As The Lesser Men Take To Discover What Will Pay.

The Master Said, “a True Gentleman Is One Who Has Set His Heart Upon The Way. A Fellow Who Is Ashamed Merely Of Shabby Clothing Or Modest Meals Is Not Even Worth Conversing With.” (analects 4.9)

To Think Twice Is Quite Enough.

Trending Author

Alistair MacLeod

Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

Category